War films suitable for a 9 year old

[Student58]

My 9 year old is currently obsessed with tanks, ships, aeroplanes, submarines etc from WW2. I don't like him just searching on Youtube so we are looking for documentaries or films that are good and free and a 12 rating or less. He has seen Memphis Belle and Battle of Britain. He's watched some Time Team where they dig up crashed planes and the Channel 4 documentaries about a man rebuilding a tank. He is really interested in the technology without really grasping the awfulness of it and I'd like him to stay that way for the moment.

Anyone got any suggestions for anything else suitable?

I loved goodnight mr tom as a child (and still do)

Not about the war as such but Abandoned Engineering has lots of interesting stuff on it, quite often war related.

Not a film, but there’s a series called ‘Drain the Ocean’ which is available on Channel 5 and I think Disney+. They explore wrecks with under water cameras and use mapping to recreate the ships and what happened to them and there are a few episodes to do with warships, D Day and U boats.

Just as an aside, Brits most definitely did not break the Enigma machine, @pinkazing, it was the Poles. They passed on this information right before they were invaded and the British secret service built on it (but bizarrely sidelined the original decoder, who had made it the British isles to deliver the intel). This in itself was no mean achievement, especially in terms of automation, which in turn gave birth to some of the earliest working computers but no, it wasn't the USA or the UK, it was Poland who broke the code machine.

Definitely the Dam Busters.

My grandson really enjoyed The Eagle has Landed when he was 6 or 7 and understood what was going on. He got what was happening when the disguised Nazi rescued the child in the mill pond. He said the 'baddy' did a good thing which gave him something to think about. He also enjoyed Dad's Army at the age but isn't particularly interested in any of that now at the age of 9.

Empire of the Sun is a PG

I know it's not war related but if your ds is really interested in how things work, you could check out some of Guy Martin's earlier programmes. I think one of the first was about him refurbing a barge. Some of his recent stuff is really good too.

Now that I think of it, if he's into technology, you could research the Biuro Szyfrów together. This was the Polish cryptographic service that originally broke Enigma. From there on you can look into the history of cryptanalysis, which is an essentially non-gruesome part of the war as it involves puzzle-solving, mathematics and the like. This might give your child an insight into the importance of technology besides lobbing shells (and even that requires a lot of calculations and engineering, but of course it's difficult to talk about without dealing with the resultin death and maiming).

More relevant, age-appropriate books about WW2 - The Dolphin Crossing by Jill Paton Walsh and The Machine Gunners' by Robert Westall (I don't think I liked/finished this one, but I remember my brother liked it when we were kids).

I think books are good here-I haven't seen the film of Goodnight Mr Tom,but the book is fine for a child (I read it around that age) because, although the 'big reveal' is horrifying (more so now, as a mother, than it was as a child) I remember just thinking it was sad. Because, written on the page, children tend to miss the implications of things they don't yet understand.

Oh and, as far as I can remember, I think the famous 1950 prisoner of war film The Wooden Horse would be fine.

Mine's just watched The Darkest Hour and found it surprisingly enthralling. He did have a commentary from DH with supplimentary information.

The Smithosonian Channel is full of documentaries but tends to have a US/ Pacific slant.

Kelly’s heroes is a PG. it’s been a while since I watched it but I don’t think it’s got much swearing in it. War related violence but a relatively low death toll of the main characters. It focuses on US cast in the Second World War, it’s quite humorous in places.

Zoo is one we’ve watched recently and the children all enjoyed.

not Hope & Glory there are bits not suitable for a 9 year old (sex)
Look up some of the old black & white British war time films

The human cost of war is death, destruction and unbelievable violence. If he likes planes, stick with planes. Otherwise at least watch films that don't glamourise it. War Horse would be a good one.

The Longest Day should fit the bill. Proper old fashioned war movie with lots of action and a grand historical sweep but made in 1962 and it’s a PG.
I haven’t seen Memphis Belle for ages but it might be worth a look.
The Dambusters is great, maybe cough loudly when he calls the dog.
I’d be careful about the Great Escape, having watched bits and pieces of it on telly over a hundred Bank Holidays I found the ending really shocking when I finally watched it all the way through.

Goodnight mr tom
Private peaceful

Or Porco Rosso? Japanese animation

"In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso (Shuichiro Moriyama), a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo (Akemi Okamura) and his longtime friend Madame Gina (Tokiko Kato)"

Ethel & Ernest would be suitable.

My ds is very interested in tanks but like yours, more from the mechanics side than the actual war killing side. It's hard to learn about one without the other though.
Ds during lockdown has watched lots of YouTube videos from the Tank Museum at Bovington. They have their own YouTube channel I think and are also doing lots of lockdown extras so there is lots to keep him occupied.

@Andromache77. Good point, about breaking the code, I meant in the film the Americans are the ones that captured the machine.

TBH - if he's seen Memphis Belle, then that's a pretty hard film to watch - especially when the other plane goes down and you hear the screams.

Dambusters
Great Escape
Tora Tora Tora
The Longest Day
633 Squadron

Kelly’s heroes is a PG. it’s been a while since I watched it but I don’t think it’s got much swearing in i

That's an unusual choice

A WW2 movie with a 60s vibe, man.......

The Colditz Story

(Ingenious ways to escape from a castle)

Reach for the Sky (all about Douglas Bader)

Angels 15

(tough ending - but no swearing and so so so British)